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About Me
Even as a very young kid, I had my head in the stars. As a child I still
vividly remember those cold and dark nights camping under the stars.
Of course I did not know the difference between a planet and a star, but
who cared at five years old. Anyway, around 1970 I acquired my first
telescope which I vaguely remember. It was a small refractor. It was not
until 1975 when a second refractor came into my hands a 60mm Sears
refractor that an interest in astronomy took hold. For a year I was out
almost every clear night to learn the stars. Later I quired a used 6-inch
Optical Craftsman newtonian that I used for several years before
getting acquainted with astrophotography. At about the same time I
became a member of Ventura County Astronomical Society. After lots
of time and film, my efforts would be published in the two leading
amateur astronomy magazines, books, a Canadian Astrophotography
CD, and coordinating three of the AstroPhoto Seminars hosted by
VCAS.
I can be found hanging around Mt. Pinos with friends and fellow
astrophotographers, freezing our cans off and dealing with the ever
growing problem of Light Pollution. Hey, it is all in the name of art.
My other hobbies include WWII 1/35 scale modelling, collecting sci-fi
and horror movies, general photography and target shooting.
vividly remember those cold and dark nights camping under the stars.
Of course I did not know the difference between a planet and a star, but
who cared at five years old. Anyway, around 1970 I acquired my first
telescope which I vaguely remember. It was a small refractor. It was not
until 1975 when a second refractor came into my hands a 60mm Sears
refractor that an interest in astronomy took hold. For a year I was out
almost every clear night to learn the stars. Later I quired a used 6-inch
Optical Craftsman newtonian that I used for several years before
getting acquainted with astrophotography. At about the same time I
became a member of Ventura County Astronomical Society. After lots
of time and film, my efforts would be published in the two leading
amateur astronomy magazines, books, a Canadian Astrophotography
CD, and coordinating three of the AstroPhoto Seminars hosted by
VCAS.
I can be found hanging around Mt. Pinos with friends and fellow
astrophotographers, freezing our cans off and dealing with the ever
growing problem of Light Pollution. Hey, it is all in the name of art.
My other hobbies include WWII 1/35 scale modelling, collecting sci-fi
and horror movies, general photography and target shooting.
| Mt. Pinos, CA |
All Images and Texts on these pages are © Copyright by Dave Holland. It is strictly forbidden to use them without the written authorization of the author ravndave@earthlink.net |
| Schaefer 12 Mount |
Telescopes:
Vixen 102ED f/6.5 refractor This is a wonderful scope. Very little CA for a fast refractor though the field is not completely flat
Celestron C-6 refractor This is an earlier Chinese made 6" f/8. Has some CA but is great for deep-sky viewing
Celestron 8 SCT This OTA was originally owned by Marty Germano and has great optics
Meade 90mm f/9 refractor Used as a guide scope for auto-guiding with an ST-4
Vixen 102ED f/6.5 refractor This is a wonderful scope. Very little CA for a fast refractor though the field is not completely flat
Celestron C-6 refractor This is an earlier Chinese made 6" f/8. Has some CA but is great for deep-sky viewing
Celestron 8 SCT This OTA was originally owned by Marty Germano and has great optics
Meade 90mm f/9 refractor Used as a guide scope for auto-guiding with an ST-4
Mounts:
Orion EQ-G Mount This is a great mount for the value! I did add a G-11 saddle and made a wood tripod to increase stability
Schaefer 12 There is history behind mounts built by Bill Schaefer. This thing can carry a small car! As basic as you can get in
a mount but needs to be in an observatory (I wish)
Orion EQ-G Mount This is a great mount for the value! I did add a G-11 saddle and made a wood tripod to increase stability
Schaefer 12 There is history behind mounts built by Bill Schaefer. This thing can carry a small car! As basic as you can get in
a mount but needs to be in an observatory (I wish)
Cameras:
DSLR Cameras Fuji S2 Pro This is my normal daylight camera. Just love this one. Canon Rebel XT, the camera I use for most
of my astro imaging It was IR modified by Hap Griffin for H-alpha sensitivity
Philips ToUcam Pro II I use this 640x480 web cam for lunar and planetary work
ST-4 for auto-guiding. Don't leave home without it!
Camera Lenses All my lenses are Nikon manual focus except for the Sigma 18 - 50mm Auto Focus
DSLR Cameras Fuji S2 Pro This is my normal daylight camera. Just love this one. Canon Rebel XT, the camera I use for most
of my astro imaging It was IR modified by Hap Griffin for H-alpha sensitivity
Philips ToUcam Pro II I use this 640x480 web cam for lunar and planetary work
ST-4 for auto-guiding. Don't leave home without it!
Camera Lenses All my lenses are Nikon manual focus except for the Sigma 18 - 50mm Auto Focus
Accessories:
William Optics 0.8x Field Flattener/Reducer This works great with the Vixen but does vignette some.
Assorted Eyepieces, Adaptors, etc Typical junk from years of accumulation
William Optics 0.8x Field Flattener/Reducer This works great with the Vixen but does vignette some.
Assorted Eyepieces, Adaptors, etc Typical junk from years of accumulation
Computer:
Dell Laptop for acquiring images and telescope control
Software I use Registax for lunar and planetary processing, DeepSkyStacker for RAW conversion, registering, aligning and
stacking of deep-sky images and ImagesPlus 2.80 for DSLR acquiring and some processing of images. PhotoShop 7 for final
image processing
Dell Laptop for acquiring images and telescope control
Software I use Registax for lunar and planetary processing, DeepSkyStacker for RAW conversion, registering, aligning and
stacking of deep-sky images and ImagesPlus 2.80 for DSLR acquiring and some processing of images. PhotoShop 7 for final
image processing
Current Equipment
My current set-up. The Vixen on the Atlas mount
